By subtracting a single gene from the genome of a mouse, scientists have created an animal that can eat a rich, high-fat diet without adding weight or risking the complications of diabetes, according to a new study published this week.
Writing in the online editions of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), James M. Ntambi, a professor of biochemistry and of nutritional sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and colleagues report that mice lacking a gene known as SCD-1 can eat a rich high-fat diet and avoid the consequences of fat deposition and excess sugar in the blood, the hallmark of type II diabetes.